March 13, 2012
Today’s Text: Jeremiah 9:23-24
Today’s Key Thought: Don’t take pride, or find your identity in what you know.

Over the next few days we’re going to examine this incredible passage of scripture in Jeremiah 9.  God tells the prophet to tell the people a very specific command.

Today we’re going to look at the first part of the command- “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom…”

Now you might be saying to yourself, “This isn’t talking to me because I don’t think I’m all that wise.”  These first three commands in this verse are really talking to everyone.  Don’t let this make you exclude yourself from learning something very valuable in this verse.

All of us have things that we know that make us proud.  Some of us are good at sports and athletics, while others have a lot of musical knowledge.  My point is that all of us have wisdom, knowledge and special interest in some part of life.  God says not to “glory” in that wisdom.  The word “glory” here means to take special pride in.  It has the idea of finding our identity in something.  It’s trying to put a particular part of ourselves out for people to see so that we can have a certain reputation.

God himself gives this command- Don’t glory in what you know.  And this makes sense right?  No matter what you know, you don’t know everything.  In fact, there will always be someone who knows more than you do.

How do we glory or find identity in what we know?  Some people’s identity is completely wrapped up in their grades or their education.  Still others try to make other people feel bad or lower than them by always trying to prove that they know more than the people to whom they are talking.  Sometimes it shows up as the inability for someone to say things like “I don’t know” and “I’m sorry.  I was wrong.”

Application:

Is your pride, identity, and glory wrapped up in what you know?